1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a male incontinence guard intended for one-time use only and including an inner, liquid-permeable casing layer which is intended to lie closest to the wearer's body in use, an outer, liquid-impermeable casing layer, and an absorbent body or pad located between said casing layers.
2. Description of Related Art
Incontinence guards used hitherto have normally consisted of conventional diapers of substantially flat configuration, for instance of rectangular shape. Diapers, however, are intended to absorb both urine and faeces and are therefore not appropriate for use by persons who solely require a urine-collecting incontinence guard. The diaper must have a given width and absorbent material a given thickness in order to achieve satisfactory absorbency. Consequently, the diaper will occur a correspondingly large space betweed the thighs of the wearer, so as to cause discomfort, such as chafing for instance. Furthermore, there is a serious risk that urine will leak at the edges of the diaper when the diaper becomes saturated and is compressed between the wearer's thighs.
Large, bulky diapers are unacceptable to males who suffer from incontinence but who are otherwise not handicapped. In addition to being uncomfortable when worn, large, bulky diapers are not readily accommodated in conventional clothing.
Mild incontinence is a hidden handicap suffered by many people. A large group of such people is comprised of males with prostate trouble. Subsequent to undergoing prostate surgery, these men are normally troubled by drop-incontinence, which hitherto has resulted in psysic suffering, since no suitable guard is available.
Incontinence guards intended for men afflicted with mild incontinence are known per se. When worn, one such known guard has the form of a cone-shaped container which embraces the genital organs of the male wearer. One drawback with this known guard is that it is much too warm and fits much too tightly when worn, and is therewith uncomfortable to the wearer. A further drawback is that the guard is much too inflexible for comfort.
The Swedish Patent Specification No. SE 450 811 teaches a male incontinence guard which comprises an upper shield-like part which lies over the penis and scrotum of the wearer in use, and a lower part which, in use, curves inwardly beneath the penis and scrotum of the wearer without completely enclosing the same. The guard has a downwardly narrowing and basin-like configuration. This guard thus avoids tightly enclosing the organs of the wearer, which is naturally beneficial from the aspect of comfort.
The guard is formed from a flat blank, one end part of which comprises two flaps whose mutually adjacent edge lines depart from a common point on the guard.
The basin-like configuration is obtained by bringing the flaps to a position in which the edge lines overlap one another, and then joining the flaps in this region.
One drawback with an incontinence guard of this design resides in the complicated manufacturing procedures required by the different clipping and joining steps.